Everyday practice with hearing impairment

The interesting combination of a Christmas party and science organized by the Görlitz District Medical Association at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences on December 9, 2016, was used by Prof. Dr. Susanne Römer (Special Needs Education/Inclusion Studies) and Ms. Nicole Friedrich (sign language instructor) to raise awareness among visitors from the region about how hearing loss can affect daily life in hospitals and medical practices.

A good 70 visitors took part in the experiment, using ear protection and earplugs to get a sense of what it’s like when you can no longer understand everything. Ms. Friedrich, who is herself hearing-impaired to the point of near deafness, described challenges based on her own experience: a lack of patient information in plain language, insufficiently sufficient sign language interpreters in the region, a need to raise awareness among hospital and clinic staff through education, as well as quick and clear information and contact resources for staff and doctors.

Ideas spontaneously emerged for collaboration with the Special Needs Education/Inclusion Studies degree programme to develop concrete solutions through joint projects. Ms. Friedrich agreed to oversee these projects. In an emergency, people with hearing impairments themselves could draw attention to their individual needs by carrying a patient card. A draft proposal by Ms. Friedrich can be further developed. Many questions from the doctors demonstrated a strong interest in understanding sign language, lip-reading, and the difficulties associated with using and understanding texts when one has a hearing impairment.

Sufficient knowledge of how to interact with people with hearing impairments is particularly necessary in legal contexts, including preoperative counseling. However, participants also recognized the need to develop conditions that promote inclusion, to identify and remove barriers, and to offer awareness-raising opportunities as part of staff training and continuing education programs for their own institutions. Due to demographic changes, further questions arose regarding successful communication with patients experiencing age-related hearing loss. The visitors were very interested in the topics discussed and would have liked to stay even longer.

The combination of a Christmas party and science was a success!